Fastening device



Feb. 13, 1945. G. AL TINNERMAN FASTENVING DEVICE.I

Filed Jima 8, 1942 EEURG A f7NNERMAN Patented Feb. 13,-1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE l matassa 'Y C Y.

FAs'rENmG DEVICE George A. Tnnerman, Cleveland, Ohio, assi-gnor to Tinnerman Products, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application June s, 1942, serial No. 446,247

' (ci. ss-asi 2 Claims. This invention relates to an escutcheon plate associated with suitable means for mounting ,it

on a support. 4More particularly, I contemplate using the plate as a removable closure to cover an'opening in a supporting plate. For instance', 'my applied plate may'carry a name or suitable symbol and is formed with an artistic contour so that it may be applied as anornament across' the opening intended for a radio dial, clock or other instrument on an automobile instrument board.

My applied plate lis provided with one or more studs each adapted to extendthrough the instrument board or other support, and, at the back of the support, to receive a retainer bearing `against the support andhaving a spring'tongue to interlock with the stud.

c 'I'he stud of my applied plate vmay be flattened on one side, enabling the retaining device to be l. readily put over the stud by reason of the reduced cross section provided by the flattening andthen giving a quarter turn to bite intov the stud and hold it in place; or the fastener may be of 'a formadapted for positioning by direct i pressure toward the back ofthe support.

Two embodiments of my invention are illustrated in the drawing hereof and are hereinafterv more fully described, and the essentialv novel features are summarized in the claims.

In the drawing. Fig. 1 isa perspective of myl 'escutcheon-plate of substantially shield-shape applied' to s, suitame support, as for instance, the

'instrument board in an automobile: Fig'. 2 is a rearelevation thereof looking at the inner side of the instrument board; Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary cross sections on the. correspondingly numbered lines on Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a fragmentary face view lookingfrom the rear, showing the in the position and before completion of the installation; Fig. 6 is a similar view illustrating the fastener in locking position; Fig.7 is a rear elevation of an instrument board having another shield-shaped escutcheon plate and a, different form of fastener for holding the same;P Fig. 8'

is a cross section indicated by the line 8 -8 on Fig. 7; Fig. 9,is a perspective of the applied stud of Fig. '7 and the fastener ready for application thereto.

' clocl'ror other instrument, and my applied es cutcheon plate is adapted to cover this opening;'

or the supporting panel may be substantially continuous, as indicated in Fig. '7. In either caseV the escutcheon plate is held in place by one or more studs extending through the support and carryv'ing fastening devices coacting with the rear face of the support.

"I will first describe the embodiment shown in Figa-l to 6 inclusive. In these views III indicates 'an escutcheon or nameplate shown as having lateral extensions I I vand i2, which for ornamental purposes'may be made to indicate the barb and feather of an arrow, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The escutcheon plate carries a pair of rearwardly extending studs I5, preferably extending from the narrowed end portions of the plate.

v Each `of these studs is cylindrical for the most f lposition of the fastener as the device is first put and hence not requiring pressure.

portion but is flattened on .oneside, as indicated at IB. These studs extend through circular openings inthe Iinstrument board and project at the lrear thereof, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4.

The fastening members which engage the studs of this embodiment on the rear sideof the instrument board are designated 20. These fastening members are strips of'sheet metal having vparallel slits 2l and central space 22 extending from slit to slit to provide a pair of opposed tongues 23. These tongues are bent up obliquely inopposite directions, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4,

the tongues being notched in their ends and adapted to bite,7 into 4the studs, as illustrated particularly in Fig. 4.

y the space 22 between the ends of -the opposed tongues is sufcient so that the fastener 20 may be readily slipped As shown in F155,

face of the stud and the otherY tongue diametrically opposite thelsame.` The opening provides' s ufllcient clearance so that the fastener may be put in this' position without binding on the stud After being 1 Vthus placed the fastener is given 'a quarter turn into the position shown in its own plane to bring it into the in Fig. 6, where the two tongues 23 bite opposed cylindrical portions ofthe stud and thus effectively hold it' in'position.

It will be seen that scribed may be mounted on the instrument board with Vgreat ease. It is simply put in place'with the studs extending through the openings in the iinstrument board and the fasteners slipped over .the studs. Then by a suitable wrench or a pair it is swung at of pinchers applied to the fastener over the stud I5 with one` tongue facing the flattened the escutcheon plate dey at 3l.

right angles to its original position and thus bites into the stud and locks the escutcheon in place.

In the embodiment of Figs. 7,- 8 and 9, the escutcheon plate lila is somewhat smaller than the one described and carries a single stud I5a' centrally located and having a attened surface Ilia. This escutcheony plate may beplaced on an instrument panel A which has an opening merely large enough to receive the stud l5a, and may be D-shaped, vas shown. to prevent itsrotation.

After the escutcheon plate Illa of Fig. 7 has been putin position, I force onto its stud a fastener which may be of the form shown at 30 in Figs. .7, 8 and 9. 'Ihis fastener has a pair of slits 3| leading from near one end of the fastener to the edges of a, rectangular opening 32 in the fastener. This leaves a tongue 33 terminating short of the end of the opening 32, which tongue is bent up obliquely to the body of the fastener, as

shown in Figs. 8.and 9. The extreme end of the fastener beyond the opening 32 is preferably bent in the direction opposite the tongue, as indicated The fastener is accordingly of the form shown in perspective'in Fig. 9. Itv is shoved into place' by direct pressure over the projecting lstud lic.

until it engages the back of the instrument board A and is nearly flat. This action bends the y tongue 33 slightly away from the body of the the opposite edge of said opening being provided aseasso bites .into the stud.' Similarly, the fastener of Fig. 2 could be mounted on the stud lia of the escutcheon of Fig. 7.

It will beseen that with either embodiment of my invention the escutcheon plate maybe read.- ily mounted on the instrument board and will be effectively held thereon notwithstanding a ,1ar-

,ring of the board through the travel of the car. Whenever desired the escutcheon plate may be removed by giving a quarter turn to the fasteners of the rst mentioned embodiment or by prying xshack the tongue-33 of the second embodiment.

prising a stripof resilient metal having a pair of parallel slits through it leading from opposite ends of an opening through the strip. said slits providing a single tongue attached to lthe body with a free end defining one edge of the opening.

i fastener, the end of the fastener away from the against theA fiat face IBa of the stud and thus lock the device in place.

l Fasteners of the type shown in Fig.` 9 could be employed on .the studs of Fig. 2 if desired, being readily applied by being first mounted loosely on the studs and then forcibly shoved against the back of the instrument board until the body of the fastener is nearly flat and its ends snugly engage the instrument board and the tongue tongue being bent down in anl oblique direction, on an axis substantially coincident with that of the opening to make said opposite edge sharp and to make the fastener base yieldable when in contact with a flat surface. A

2. The combination of two-fasteners as defined inclaim 1 and a cover-plate for mounting on the vinstrument boardv of Aan automobile or similar member having an opening tobe covered and a pair of small holes beyond the opening, said cover plate shaped to cover the opening and having a pair of studs with a flattenedface to extend through 'said holes, each fastener adapted to engagera stud by sliding the tongue axially along the flattened faceaand then rotating the fastener 

